Minion

You left off the integrated cappuccino maker.

I need to dig out the results, but I'll post them if I can find them. Testing was done based on the virtual elevation method. Measured power, speed and weight are used to back calculate an elevation profile. This can be compared to a measured elevation profile (not as accurate) or known points on a loop (e.g. start and end points on a loop will have the same elevation or multiple runs on the same loop must have the same profile) to determine CdA and Crr. http://anonymous.cow...ndirect-cda.pdf I chose a windless day and a loop between two traffic circles. This allowed turnarounds without using brakes (which messes up the VE profile). Each test run consisted of 8 laps and took under 10min (allowing multiple runs during a single testing session). All runs were completed within two hours (minimise temperature variation and resultant air density changes). At the start of each run I measured the combined weight of me and the bike. I rode all runs in the same positions (on the hoods). I varied my speed throughout each run (gives more data points for VE analysis). If I had to brake or change position during a run, the run was scrapped. Speed and power were measured using my Powertap with a Garmin on 1s recording. I performed a regression analysis to find CdA and Crr values for each run that gave the best match for the VE profiles of the individual laps in each run.

I'm sure his testing goal as a tester was the overall response, performance and durability of the bike - something for which those factors and total time do not make much of a difference. On a ride that long, it would be extremely difficult to control all of the factors that would affect total time. If the goal was to test rolling resistance, it would be much easier and would give you better results to do back-to-back comparison on a short route with a power meter. Weather is roughly constant, the route condition won't change and power is the controlling factor for effort, eliminating feel, fatigue, rest etc. as influencing factors. I do not dispute that rolling resistance makes a difference. I dispute that time change over a three hour+ ride is sufficient evidence of the magnitude of improvement. There are too many other influencing variable that are hard or impossible to control for. I know there is a real difference between my Gatorskins and Open Corsa road tyres. I do not trust my time differences over a loop around Suikerbosrand (my fastest ever time was on a steel bike with Gatorskins), but I do base it on controlled, power-based testing that I have done on a short course (multiple <2min laps).

It's a nice figure for conversation, but I reckon a ride that long just introduces too many variables for accurate testing e.g. weather, surface condition, consistency of power etc. Fitness may be constant, but fatigue, rest etc. may be different. I'd be more interested if he said he'd seen a consistent 30s improvement over a 4min ride done under controlled conditions e.g. same power, same time of day, minimal wind. The overall point remains valid, though.

I seem to recall there was an option to do both (although that might have been for power only).

Another thing to watch out for is the location of handles, wheels etc. My old Race Case had a single pair of fixed wheels at one corner and a single handle half way up the opposite side. It was terrible. It kept on tipping over to one side or the other, to the point the I never used the wheels, but carried it over my shoulder with the handles (painful) or use a luggage trolley (inconvenient). My new case has a pair of fixed wheels at one end and a pair of casters at the other. The handle is at the top, above the casters. It's a dream to pull around and more well-behaved than my wheely suitcase.

And yet the reviews (i.e actual data) out there indicate that it gives better data than heart rate alone and much better data than an online estimator like Strava. It doesn't give the same accuracy as a true direct force PM (nor does it claim to), but then it doesn't cost R9000+ either. It's a reasonable compromise between cost and accuracy. I am seriously considering one as a load (i.e. TSS) estimator for MTBing, rather than shelling out R12,000 for another direct force PM.

8km = 5 miles, so that might explain that one. This does help to explain why the Garmin of the guy next to me at the 94.7 kept on beeping at odd times every few km. Meat saddle?

DC Rainmaker has done a comprehensive review: http://www.dcrainmak... (DC Rainmaker) A summary of pros and cons:

That sucks Where did you hear this? Looks like we'll have to stock up: http://branfordbike.com/articles/campagnolo-ergo-lever-parts-1998-2008-pg71.htm

I'm not really making a comment on whether or not the costs are reasonable or not. I just get irritated when the basis for price comparison is flawed and doesn't include all factors. The average person who does not travel often or have friends who travel often and will have to bring things in through conventional channels, including shippin, SARS VAT etc. The true basis for comparison should be the total price that a person has to pay to get an item into their home, from whatever source, using legal means available to the population in general (e.g. post, courier etc.).

Duty free allowance only applies if you're bringing it back for your own personal use. It's OK if you're flying and bringing it in yourself. Not if your friend is importing it on your behalf. It's still not really a fair comparison since you're not actually factoring in transport costs. The importer does have economies of scale to reduce their import costs, but still has to pay something to bring them in. He can't stick them in a buddy's luggage.

Yes, I can see how that would be a problem... I've updated the link to avoid a thread singularity. Here's the correct one, too: https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/111338-chain-comparison/page__hl__chain

Not necessarily. Weight saving on chains is usually achieved by hollowing out the pins and putting holes in the outer plates. This makes the plates and pin weaker, but since the chain rarely fails due to a direct failure of those two components, it doesn't make much difference. Most of the time, you'll replace a chain because of surface wear on the pins etc. Most other chains achieve weight reduction in a similar way. If you look at the chain wear comparison tests that are out there, they do seem to show that some high end chains last longer (possibly due to better, more expensive surface treatments). For example, in Tour Magazine's test Dura-Ace outperforms 105 and Ultegra. Here's the link to the earlier thread with the test data: https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/111338-chain-comparison/page__hl__chain

That's also a factor. The Race Case Compact and my current case (BikND Helium) both fit onto the back seat of a Polo, Getz and Yaris.

I had a Racetec Compact and it was pretty robust. I got rid of it because it only opened at the top and was a mission to pack. I think they may now have changed the design so it opens on the side, though.

1.) Pretty much any 10sp chain will work. Value for money? There was a post on one of the innumerable chain threads with a link to a Tour magazine wear test. Campag chains faired very well, Shimano too, I think. SRAM, not so well. I currently have about 7000km on a Record chain and it's at only .25% wear, but I seldom ride in the rain and I clean and lube it regularly. 2.) Any except the SRAM 10sp Powerlock link. SRAM links are not supposed to be reusable and are hard to remove. I quite like the KMC ones - reusable and easy to install and remove. 3.) It depends on how often you plan to use it. A good multitool will work for occasional use, while a dedicated one like the Park Tool is much more user-friendly. 4.) I use some oil that I found lying around somewhere. I apply it to each link with a blunt hyperdermic. If I ever run out, I'll replace it with motor oil.

If you're paying the VAT on the import, then it is much closer to 10-20% premium. If you're not paying the VAT, well it's a bit unfair to criticise the distributor based on a price that you can only get through illegal means.

I may be moving to the Irene/Pierre van Ryneveld area at the end of the month and I'm looking for some suggestions for any good road routes in the area (e.g. for hill training), as well as any groups riding on weekends (I know about Cycle lab but are there any others?) and during the week. Any suggestions?

Have a look at the Sony Ericcson Xperia active. It's designed specifically for what you have in mind and supports ANT+, so you can use the same accessories you'd use with a Garmin.

Here's a graph (Gautengers may recognise the elevation profile) for part of a ride with the following goal (from a while back when I was actually fit): Mostly at ~155 - 250W, up to 250 - 310W on the climbs (even up to 320 - 440W on some of the 1 - 3min climbs). I pushed a little bit harder than that, but this is what it looks like. You don't really see what the power track is doing until you change the scaling and spread the lap out over a wider horizontal scale (using WKO+):

Isn't one of the advantages of carbon fibre that you can get better control of crack propagation? I read somewhere that a crack may be able to grow fairly easily within a ply, but when you've got plies of different orientation, the crack doesn't grow across the plies. Provided it's not unidirectional and provided you've got enough other plies to share the load, the crack isn't a huge problem.

You get used to it after a while. It's also much easier to stick to a target on a hill or the like. The only time I try to religiously stick to a single zone is when I'm doing intervals, which will usually be on a hill anyway. I wouldn't try to stick to a zone throughout an entire long ride, My program might call for a ride that's generally in Zone 3, but going to Zone 5 on short hills or Zone 4 on long ones. In that case, I'd try stick to the zones on the hills, but otherwise I'd not be too concerned about moment to moment power values. I'd just use NP or feel to make sure my ride is generally within the overall zone. I'll upload a typical graph a bit later. Have you read Coggan and Allen's Training with a Power Meter book?

It hasn't finished at Kyalami since at least 2006.

Map and elevation comparison of 2008 and 2012 through town. 2012 is the rightmost curve, in red.